


A Butterfly's Feather

by KittyKitty707



Category: Miraculous Ladybug, mira - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Season 3 Finale, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-03
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:41:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21663112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KittyKitty707/pseuds/KittyKitty707
Summary: A post season 3 au told through various points of view, where after the (spoiler) peacock miraculous is fixed, both Nathalie and Gabriel take advantage of this new power boost, and mayhem ensues, through the use of a mysterious plan.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth & Nathalie Sancoeur, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth/Nathalie Sancoeur
Comments: 6
Kudos: 41





	1. Chapter 1: Rooftops

The clack of her shoes against the roof tiles was drowned out by the nighttime sounds of traffic. She glided across the rooftops, gently floating across the gaps and landing as soft as a feather. He destination was finally in sight. An obstacle presented itself, as the roof top she intended to arrive at is across the street from her current perch. She sized up the gap, and prepared herself. She runs across several roofs, giving her a running start. She flies across the gap, gently gliding through the air. She lands quite hard, resulting in a loud clack. She looks down and sees that someone on the sidewalk below is looking around for the source of the noise. She hides behind a chimney, and waits for a moment. She waits for a few moments, and looks back. They are walking off, and it seems that if she speaks the nearby road traffic will drown out the sounds. Perfect.

“Hawkmoth, I have arrived at the location.”

“Perfect. All is going as planned. I assume you can take it from here?”

“Of course, sir.”

“See you soon. Dark wings fa-”

The communication was cut short by his de-transformation. Mayura reached into her concealed coat pocket, and grabbed out two small black objects. She placed them on opposite sides of the chimney and began to run off again, back home. The first step was completed.

She landed a little hard onto the roof, which knocked her off balance. If not for her enhanced abilities due to the miraculous, she surely would have fallen off. The top panel of the attic window had a hinge, and was used as a method of entry and exit for the attic. She jumped down into the darkened area, and jumped back up to close the exit. She was alone, as Mr. Agreste had seen himself to bed. 

“Duusu, fall my feathers.”

The energetic Kwami flew in a circle around her head. “Whooo! Wasn’t that fun, Ms.Nathalie?

Nathalie felt a small pain in her chest, causing her to cough. A sprout of a smile grew on her face. “It was quite… exhilarating. We will have fun like that again soon. For now, you can rest.”  
Duusu nodded and yawned before disappearing back into the miraculous. Nathalie checked the security camera on her phone, before getting on the elevator to the main floor. Once she arrived in the office, she made the realization that for every other night she had been out, Gabriel had been waiting in the attic for her return, but not tonight. He must have realized, after the miraculous had been fixed, that she was slowly getting better from the sickness that the miraculous had given her. She thought to herself that since she got better, he may send her out on her own from now on, and she would be once again treated more like an employee than a person he cared about. She had quite liked being cared for by him, and would miss the experience. She took off the pendant and sighed.

As she turned the corner out of the room, she saw that Gabriel was pacing the floor on the middle landing of the stairs. He spotted her out of the corner of his eye, and sharply turned in her direction. 

“Ah, Nathalie!” He expressed with energy. He paused for a moment and cleared his throat before continuing much more formally. “ I see you have finished you work. I am heading off to bed now. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight sir.”

Gabriel headed up the stairs to his bedroom, and Nathalie headed towards hers. Maybe he did care about her, after all.

Nathalie was rushing around her room, getting herself ready for the day ahead. It was nearly 11 am, and she had slept in. All the late nights on rooftops was not good for her, but she wanted what Gabriel wanted, and that was his latest scheme. It was the weekend, so there was not as much to do, but Adrien still had a photo shoot and fencing lessons after lunch, so she would have to make sure he got to them. Her hair bun was more hair than bun today, and her sweater was fairly wrinkled, but she was finally ready. She walked out towards Adrien’s door, but paused, realizing that she could hear someone inside. Adrien was chatting with someone. It was cracked open, and she listened intently.

“… goes without saying there is definitely something going on between those two. They look just like me and sugarcube sometimes.” 

Adrien replied, “I know Dad doesn’t want to admit he is getting over mom, but I think it’s a good thing. I miss mom a lot and still wish she was here, but she’s gone, and life goes on. Nathalie has always been nice to me, like a second mom. Even before she disappeared she was there for me.”

Nathalie smiled at the comment.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, kid.”

Nathalie decided now would be the best time to step in. She knocked on his door.

“Adrien, is there someone in there with you? I don’t remember you inviting any friends over.”

“Oh, um, uh, it’s just Nino. I just…decided to call and chat with him. That’s it!”

She sighed.“Alright. As long as you are ready for lunch and the appointments you have after, you can talk to him till then.”

“Thanks Nathalie!” Adrien called out. She closed the door and headed into the office. Mr.Agreste already there, doing some work.

“How is Adrien doing?” he asked, not looking away from his screen.

“He is doing just fine, sir. He will have lunch soon, will you have time to join him?”, she asked.

“No, we must begin with the plan. I am afraid he will have to eat alone.”

She had expected this response, but still wished that he would spend more time with his son. Even a meal with his dad cheered up Adrien quite a bit. She suspected it made it feel like when his mom was around, and as if everything was more normal again. Alas, it was not today for such a moment to occur, as was many others to come.

“Nathalie, you can begin phase one of our plan immediately. You know what to do.”

Nathalie nodded in acknowledgment and left the room. She was going to have to do something that was very risky, but could be of great use to them if what they suspected was true. She walked up to the bodyguard outside the dining room and told him to go prepare the car outside. When she saw he was outside, she took a deep breath in and slowly cracked the dining room door open a small bit. She was nervous.


	2. Liar Liar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a lot longer than the first one, so it took longer. I love all the support and comments that I'm getting! Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy, and the next chapter will be out soon. Feel free to leave theories if you want!

Adrien happily ate his salad and potatoes. Today, they had been prepared by Nathalie, who knew exactly how he liked them. The good cooking reminded him of his mother, who, when she was still around, would be the one to cook the meals. Meanwhile, Nathalie would help with the more dull work like taxes and scheduling, but ever since mom disappeared, Nathalie was forced to take upon both duties. Meals like this made his meal quiet, a mix of sad and happy at the same time. 

He heard Nathalie coming up the steps, talk to the bodyguard, and then a short period of silence. The door was slightly ajar, and he could hear everything she said. She was talking on the phone with someone.

“Hello?”

“You want to do it tonight?”

“Who is it?”

“Lila Rossi?”

“All right, I’ll set it up. Do you require my assistance?”

“You don’t?”

“No, no one here suspects a thing.”

“Goodbye. ” She hung up and entered the room.

“Hello, Adrien, did you enjoy your lunch?” 

“I did very much Nathalie. Thank you.” He handed her his dishes. Something about the call seemed… off. He didn’t like it. Adrien put it out of his mind and packed up his stuff to get to his appointments. As he walked behind her to the car, he couldn’t get one line she said out of his head, no one here suspects a thing.

“Pound it!” Chat Noir and Ladybug fist-bumped. Lila Rossi or as she was a few minutes ago, Volpina, sat before them. 

“Chat Noir? Ladybug? What are you doing here?” she snarked.

Ladybug did not help up the victim as she usually would have, instead of letting Lila get herself up. “You were akumatized! You turned into Volpina again. What could have caused this?”

Lila suddenly changed her demeanor and became incredibly upset. “I was supposed to be doing a photoshoot with my boyfriend Adrien…” Both Ladybug and Chat Noir rolled their eyes at the performance, “but when I arrived, I was told that, because I was late, he was going to do it with another girl! And she was that terrible blue-haired one! She doesn’t deserve him!”

Chat noir looked tired just from talking with her. “You mean that Kagami girl?”

“Yes! She spent all that time with him and I didn’t even get a single second with him. Boo hoo hoo.” Lila began to cry, but the superhero pair did not feel sorry for her, knowing it was fake tears.

“Why didn’t you just ask to see him after if you wanted to see him so badly?” Ladybug reasoned.

Lila blubbered as she spoke, “I did, but his secretary told me that if I kept trying, I would never be able to see him again. I just wanted him to notice me, and then I got akumatised. This is the worst day ever! Whaaaa!”. Lila began to fake cry again, and Chat Noir was just about to leave when he thought about something she said. 

“Wait a minute, I didn’t know Adrien Agreste had a secretary. I wish I was that lucky.”

Ladybug looked confused. “Wait, I’m pretty sure that he doesn’t. Is that just another lie, Lila?” She crossed her arms in disappointment.

Lila pretended to be scared. “No, I swear I am telling the truth! It was his secretary, the lady that follows him around everywhere! With her black and red hair and her little stupid tablet and her…” she began to ramble off angrily about random things that happened to her, but mostly about the woman.

Chat Noir froze. He began to contemplate something in the back of his mind. Something he very much didn’t like. The words began to echo in his head.

“You want to do it tonight?”

“Lila Rossi?”

“Do you require my assistance?”

“You don’t?”

“No, no one here suspects a thing.”

“Chat? Chat? What’s wrong, what’s going on?” Chat snapped back into focus.

“You had me worried there for a minute. You zoned out and looked scared.”

Chat Noir looked around and noticed that Lila had run off somewhere. He tried to regain his composure and noticed that he was about to detransform. He grabbed Ladybug’s hand just before she ‘bugged out’ and looked into her eyes. 

“Ladybug, I have… something serious I need to discuss with you. Can we meet at nine tonight, the usual spot?”

Ladybug quickly latched her yo-yo back onto her belt and used both her hands to grab his hand. “Of course kitty.”, she reassured him. Her earrings beeped faster, so she quickly turned and ran off. “Bug out!” She waved at him and launched herself off in some other direction. He sighed and ran off smiling in the other direction.

As Chat dropped down in through the window of his room, he quickly detransformed before he could even say, “Claws Off”. Plagg zipped over to some camembert he had left on his desk and gobbled it down. Adrien fixed his shirt and walked over to his bedroom door. “You stay here, I’ll be back in a minute.”

Plagg’s face was stuffed full of cheese, and he managed out a “Wes Wir!” while sarcastically saluting him. Adrien was not very amused. As he walked towards his father’s office, he began to doubt himself. Was it really that big of a deal? Was he just making something out of nothing? Maybe she just didn’t like Lila, that’s all. But then what was that call about? And if he really was right, who was she in terms of the hierarchy? Was she hawkmoth’s assistant? Or was she unaware of being a cog in his machine? And who was Hawkmoth if it wasn’t his dad? One question bugged him the most of all, why. Why would she do such a nefarious thing, assist the terrorist that had been running around Paris’s streets for a year? He didn’t even know what he would say. He just stood at the door, thinking. Going over the questions, again and again, the insanity of it all filling him up.

“Adrien, is that you?” Adrien turned around to see Nathalie running in through the front door. She put her hands on his shoulders and looked into his eyes. “When I saw Volpina carry you off like that, I was so worried. That girl, she almost killed you. I turned her away from the door, I told her she was too late. It’s all my fault. I’m… I am so sorry Adrien.” She looked away and crossed her arms, holding herself.

He began to feel a bit guilty for the awful thoughts he had had about her. “Nathalie, you don’t need to apologize. People get akumatized all the time, and our heroes come to save us in the end. As long as we have faith in them, it will always work out in the end.” There was a short pause. “I didn’t think about calling you. I’m sorry. I should have realized you would be worried.” He gently touched her arm. “If this ever happens again, you will be the first person I call, all right?”

“All right,” she said, her smile growing slightly. As Adrien walked back to his room, Nathalie called out, with her demeanor returned to its serious state. “I will see to it that your fencing lesson is canceled. You can relax for the rest of the evening until dinner.” He thanked her and they both walked in through the parallel, yet opposite doors.

Plagg was lazing on the piano.“What was that all about?”

Adrien began to pace the room. “I’m really conflicted. I don’t know what to do. This morning I thought that Nathalie might be working with Hawkmoth. But why would she be so worried about me then? She cares more about me than my dad does sometimes. She may seem cold and uncaring at times, but when it’s important, she shows how much of a softie she is. Ugh…” He fell back onto his bed. “I feel bad even saying it. I can’t believe that I am even considering this. What am I gonna tell Ladybug anyways?” He sat up and began to use exaggerated hand gestures. “Hey there Ladybug, it’s me, Adrien! I’m actually Chat Noir and my dad’s assistant is working for Hawkmoth! Yay!” 

Plagg floated over to him. “You know very well that you can’t tell her that you are Chat Noir!”

“Well then, how do I tell her I know all this?”

There was silence as both Plagg and Adrien tried to think of a solution. As Plagg floated around, he looked around the room for inspiration. He looked back at Adrien, about to admit defeat when he saw the solution right in front of him. “I got it! If you aren’t Adrien, then Adrien simply must have told you!”

Adrien thought about it for a minute.“That's a pretty good idea! You are the most clever cat there is, aren’t you?”

Plagg blushed a little at the compliment, and declared “Yes I am!”

The moonlight shined down onto the rooftops. A lone silhouette sat alone, looking far off at the Eiffel tower to pass the time. The gentle sound of footsteps approached as another silhouette joined the first. “Lovely night isn’t it. What do you think, m’lady?”

Ladybug smiled. She pretended that she didn’t like the nickname, but every time she heard it was a reminder of a person who was always there for her. Now, it was her turn to be there for them. “Tell me what’s wrong kitty.”

Chat sighed deeply. Not good. His overly cheery manner was now quite sad. This wasn’t like him, so it meant that this was very serious. Ladybug looked at him and grabbed his hand, to reassure him. “I’m here for you.”

He looked off into the distance. “I’m not always Chat Noir. When I’m not, I am just another civilian. A while ago, when I was just a normal person, I received some troubling news about a possible Hawkmoth lead. I got this info from a civilian friend of mine.”

He paused.

“His name… is Adrien Agreste.”


	3. The Calm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. I had personal issues to deal with. I hope you enjoy it!

“His name… is Adrien Agreste.”

Gabriel punched the wall.

“It seems our theory is correct, sir. You cannot tell Adrien about your identity. If Adrien told Chat Noir about my identity, he would surely tell him about yours as well.”

Gabriel stared upwards at his painting of Emilie. “It hurts to hear it, Nathalie. I hoped that one day I would be able to tell him about my secret. It seems that will have to wait until after I complete my goal now.” He turned back around and gestured for Nathalie to continue. She pressed a button on her tablet and the audio resumed its live feed.

“…and said that she never would do such a thing. He thinks that she is probably being manipulated into working for Hawkmoth!”

“I think I have met her before. She seems cold and distant, but not evil.” Ladybug commented. “So what do you think her role in all this is?”

“I don’t know, and nether does he. I think we should just keep this information in mind for now and see if we can find out anymore clues later on. For now, let’s pretend we don’t know anything about this, and I’ll ask him to do the same, alright?” Chat uttered.

“Alright.”

Chat’s ring beeped after a few seconds of silence. Sounds of movement could be heard. “See you soon, Bugaboo.”, was heard, followed by the sound of a metal pipe hitting the pavement below. 

There was silence for a moment, so Nathalie and Gabriel assumed that they had both left. “It seems that it is hard for Adrien to consider you to be working with Hawkmoth. He has passed this notion on to his superhero companions, and we can use this to our advantage.” Gabriel stated. 

“Poor kitty.” Ladybug interrupted the conversation. The feed had not been turned off. Nathalie was slightly shocked by the sound, and turned the transmission off.

Gabriel continued his monologue with “This causes us to change our plans slightly, but it will be better for us in the end.” He smiled dastardly at Nathalie, who returned the look.

Nathalie waited outside Adrien’s room. Gabriel only gave Adrien one place of privacy, in his room. All other areas of the house had cameras and sound recorders. Because of this, she would have to wait until he woke up during the night sometime to act out the next part of the plan. Nathalie new, due to her having to “work” late into the night every once in a while, that Adrien usually would get up and walk around for a bit around 10 at night. She sat on the stairs, reading a various web articles on her tablet. Suddenly, she heard a loud thunk, as if something had landed on the floor. A voice spoke. Footsteps moved across the floor. He was awake. It was the moment they both had been hoping for. Nathalie laid her tablet down on the stairs carefully and moved into the middle of the area, close to Adrien’s door. She had purposely cracked it open earlier, and hoped that his curiosity would be able to provide him with the information that she wanted to give. As Adrien was now confirmed to be working with Chat Noir, it was important that they use this new information to their advantage. Nathalie didn’t like misleading him, but she knew that the effort would be all for him in the end. She pulled out her phone and began to talk out loud.

“Hello there.”

Pause.

“I am sorry to say, but this is the last call I will be making to you.”

Pause.

“I can’t do this anymore. I don’t know why you are doing this, but I won’t let myself be used by you anymore.”

Pause.

“Why? Because I cannot risk the lives of those I care about. You will not make me do your dirty work anymore.”

Pause.

“I don’t care about that anymore. You can tell the world what you know about me, and I will find a way to live on. You, on the other hand, will be eventually caught and arrested, with your life staying still in a cold prison cell. I will not work with a terrorist.”

Pause.

“No,I will not regret my decision. Goodbye and good riddance!” Nathalie said a bit older and angrier as she pretended to hang up her phone.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted that the door was a bit more ajar, and there appeared to be a shadow peeking out. Good, he had heard it. She sighed loudly, and continued her sad performance over to the stairs, and grabbed her tablet. She stopped and looked up at the picture for a moment, before walking off to her bedroom.

The early morning sunrise shined through the window of the attic, and lit up the faces of those who had just moments ago appeared there. 

“Are you ready?”asked Gabriel as he turned his head slightly towards Nathalie, smirking. The plan of theirs was very complex, but if it worked out perfectly, they would have a great advantage over their nemesis’s. 

“Yes, Gabriel, I am.” She took off her jacket and grabbed a piece of ribbon from Gabriel. She tied the fabric just below her elbow, and ensured that, unless it was untied, the fabric would not move from her arm. She pulled out the peacock miraculous from her jacket and put it on her shirt.

“Duusu, spread my feathers!” Nathalie transformed into the beautiful Mayura. She pulled out a feather and commanded “Go my little amuk, and bring my creation to life!”. The feather turned a dark blue, and hovered into the air. Nathalie spread her arms, saying “Duusu, fall my feathers!”. Duusu appeared, and looked confused.

“Nathalie, what’s going on?” she inquired. Nathalie lifted her arm in response, contacting the floating amuk. A black cloud appeared as a sentimonster began to take form.

“Mayura, I am Nathalie.You hold the power of the peacock miraculous and are Hawkmoth’s loyal assistant.You will follow our plan in order to make his dreams a reality.”


End file.
